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Thursday, 17 November 2011

One of the simplest and easiest ways to develop kids' thinking skills is by wording questions in the right way. When teachers and parents learn to ask questions that stimulate kids' thought processes, learning can be fun for children of all ages. Whether we are conscious of it or not, different types of questions require us to use different kinds or levels of thinking. According to Bloom's Taxonomy, a widely recognized classification system, human thinking skills can be broken down into six categories. Click below to find out more about each category and what you can do to help your child improve her thinking skills. Knowledge, comprehension, and application are more concrete thinking skills. Analysis, synthesis, and evaluation require more abstraction and are known as critical thinking skills.

What might happen if a cow laid eggs? Knowing what you know about
egg-laying animals, what could you say about animals that don't lay
eggs?

What if Abe Lincoln lived today? What problem might he solve?

Evaluation

Evaluation involves judging or deciding according to some set of criteria, without real right or wrong answers.

Asking the Right Questions:

Use words such as: assess, decide, measure, select, explain, conclude,
compare, summarize, etc., to encourage your child to make judgements
according to a set of criteria.

Sample questions: What do egg-laying animals have in common?

What might have happened if Abe Lincoln never lived? What are some ways that history might be different?

The use of critical thinking is one of the most valuable skills we can pass on to our children. Gifted children, especially, tend to take mental leaps and you might notice that they use synthesis and evaluation without teaching or prompting. Supporting and nurturing these skills is crucial to the development of strong academic and lifelong problem-solving skills. Remember, the most important thing is to have fun with these skills. When kids enjoy discussions with their parents and teachers, they'll love to learn.